Mystic Seaport Overnight Sailing Camp

Joseph Conrad OVERNIGHT SAILING CAMP OUR CAMPUS

Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime history museum and an experiential education facility where students encounter the past in a hands-on, vibrant setting. Founded in 1929, our 19-acre Museum along the Mystic River waterfront includes a recreated 19th-century coastal village, historic vessels and small boats, exhibit gal- leries, a renowned planetarium, and much more! Mystic Seaport also houses one of the world’s largest collections of maritime artifacts.

A UNIQUE RESIDENTIAL SAILING CAMP

The Joseph Conrad Overnight Sailing Camp is one of the Museum’s premier camp offerings for young people ages 10–15. It combines a residential camp model, historic setting, top-notch sailing instruction, unique experiential activities, and dynamic staff to create an unforget- table and fun experience.

This camp is unique because it combines the best of a sailing camp with the opportunities for campers to experience one-of-a-kind hands-on activities in a beautiful setting on the Mystic River. Because the camp is located at Mystic Seaport, campers have 19 acres of exciting exhibits and vessels to explore when they are not sailing. The camp promotes team- work, responsibility, and seamanship. All Conrad Camp sessions are a week long, beginning on Sunday and ending on Friday afternoon with a slide show that allows campers and family members to relive the week. Activities vary from day to day and are weather dependent, but here’s a typical schedule:

6:30 a.m. : Wake Up 7 a.m. : Clean up ship and Sailing Center 8:15 a.m. : Breakfast 9 a.m. : Morning sail activity/maritime programming 12:30 p.m. : Lunch 1:15 p.m. : Explore the Museum 2 p.m. : Afternoon sail activity/maritime programming 5 p.m. : Ship Liberty (free time) 6:15 p.m. : Dinner 7 p.m. : Evening activities 9 p.m. : Ship Liberty (free time)

9:30 p.m. : Lights Out A TYPICAL DAY

SESSIONS FOR EVERY SKILL LEVEL

Whether your camper has never set foot in a boat before or has a good command of the basics already, we have a session to suit their ability. Our Beginner weeks (ages 10-13), are ideal for younger campers who have never sailed before. We also offer two different Beginner/Intermediate weeks, for ages 10-13 or ages 12-15, which are best for older campers who have either no sailing experience, or younger campers with some sailing experience under their belt. Our Intermediate weeks (ages 13-15) are for sailors who have conquered the basics and are looking for new challenges! MARITIME PROGRAMMING AND EVENING ACTIVITIES

While sailing is a primary focus of this camp, campers also take advantage of all the exciting activities available on our 19 acres of Museum grounds. We help campers make the most of their time off the water with a variety of unique activities that draw on the Museum’s unparalleled exhibits and staff to help campers experience what life in 19th–century New England would have been like. Topics covered include maritime history, marine science, astronomy and navigation, music of the sea, and seamanship. See below for descriptions of sample activities.

PLANETARIUM SHOW

Explore the stars without ever leaving the Museum with a show at our Treworgy Planetarium. Campers learn about the cosmos and the basics of celestial navigation, an essential tool that mariners have used for centuries.

TOUR OF HISTORIC WHALING VESSEL AND CHANTEY SHOW

Campers learn the songs of the sea from one of our renowned chantey singers while hauling on a line on the Joseph Conrad. Stepping back in time, campers experience a special tour of the Charles W. Morgan, the last remaining wooden whaling vessel in the world, and try their hands at throwing a harpoon.

What are the largest, fastest, and most intelligent invertebrates in the sea? Squid! Campers will discover the amazing adaptations of these animals by participating in a detailed dissection of our local species with our partners from Mystic Aquarium.

BREECHES BUOY (19TH-CENTURY LiFESAVING DEMONSTRATION)

Developed by the U.S. Lifesaving Service and used before helicop- ters, a breeches buoy was used to rescue people from a sinking ship that was close to shore. The device, essentially a life ring with canvas short pants sewn into it, was used to transport the wreck victim along a zip line from the wrecked ship to the beach. Camp- ers perform this drill using a system of ropes and pulleys in a simulation on the Museum’s Village Green.

CLIMBING THE RIGGING A culminating and favorite activity for the campers is climbing the rigging of the Joseph Conrad. Using modern harnesses, campers get a taste of what it was like for a sailor of long ago to climb the rigging of a historic ship, experiencing amazing views of the Mystic River and feeling a sense of accomplishment. ACCOMMODATIONS AND DINING

Built in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1882, the Joseph Conrad is a square-rigger once used to train young Danish cadets for the merchant service. Today, per- manently moored on our waterfront, the vessel is fitted out with bunks for 50 campers, flush toilets, showers, heat/AC, and electricity. Each camper is as- signed a bunk of their own, and boys and girls sleep in separate compartments with their own bathrooms and showers. Campers eat three meals a day in our Galley Restaurant in a separate room designated for the camp. All meals are produced by Coastal Gourmet, an award-winning catering company. Our counselors, who live aboard the OUR STAFF AND Conrad all summer alongside campers, love fostering the sense of growth and COMMITTMENT TO community that the Conrad camp in- spires. Many of the counselors are past QUALITY Conrad campers themselves and cannot wait to share the unique experience that Conrad camp offers with others. Counselors not only teach sailing in a fun and engaging way, they also know how to connect with campers and create a positive environment for youth develop- ment. We are licensed by the state of Connecticut and maintain the highest standards of safety and quality.

WHAT PARENTS AND CAMPERS ARE SAYING:

“It’s just so much fun here because the counselors are constantly encouraging you to do better, to challenge yourself.”

“Going to the Joseph Conrad overnight sailing camp has changed my life forever. I met so many incredible people, people who I hope I will know for a lifetime.”

“I can’t tell you enough about the positive experience that my boys had at the Joseph Conrad Summer Sailing Program this past July. If you could have seen the smiles that they had on their faces, you would know immediately how much fun they had those five days… They made new friends and saw old friends…they seem different when they come back—more mature, more indepen- dent, and truly with a much greater respect of the outdoors.”

OUR BOATS

The core instructional boat at Conrad Camp is the 9’ Dyer Dhow, which is a multi-use sail and rowing boat originally developed as life boats during the Second World War. The boats are durable and simple to operate, which makes them ideal platforms for new sailors. The Dyer Dhows and their colorful sails are a summertime fixture on the Mystic River, and have been the learning platform for thousands of sailors of all ages. REGISTER BY MARCH 30 FOR A 10% DISCOUNT!

TO REGISTER AND FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL 860.572.5322, EXT. 1, OR VISIT https://www.mysticseaport.org/learn/summer-camps/conrad/

75 Greenmanville Ave. Mystic, CT 06355